Predictions of food crisis are getting direr, forcing countries to take extraordinary measures (see

When the order came down from the top brass of Bangladesh's armed forces it sounded like a joke. Some of the soldiers and sailors who were told that from now on their daily rations would include increased servings of potatoes almost certainly did not take it seriously either.

Surging prices for agricultural commodities - and the fear of shortages at home - have prompted some countries to impose restrictions on exports. But their moves threaten to prolong the current global food crisis - and even exacerbate it. Countries such as Argentina, Kazakhstan, India and Vietnam have stopped their farmers selling crops abroad or taxed exports heavily in an effort to keep local markets well-supplied and local prices for those crops low.

A landmark deal reached between Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom and three energy-rich Central Asian nations is likely to affect European consumers. On March 11, Gazprom agreed

New Delhi, Apr 9 In yet another major public-private partnership, Tata Steel will float a joint venture company with state-owned MMTC Ltd for acquiring mining projects in India and abroad. The JV will focus on African countries like Angola and Namibia and central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to bid for gold and diamond mines, besides acquiring coal and iron ore mines.

>> Law and Justice, one of Kazakhstan's few independent newspapers, is to be closed by order of the Astana region court. The newspaper is charged with improper registration. The newspaper, however,

Thousands of people were left without fresh water in Kazakhstan on Monday after a major flood disrupted water supplies in the southwest of the Central Asian state, the Emergencies Ministry said.

An environmental dispute brewing between Kazakhstan and a foreign oil consortium tapping the Karachaganak field might herald further moves by the central Asian country to gain influence over the crown

Eurasian Natural Resources Corp, the Kazakh mining group, is set to make a dramatic entry into the top third of the FTSE 100 this week, just three months after it listed in London, in spite of having